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Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Sir Salman Rushdie

After a long and successful career in his chosen profession, it should be uncontroversial that Sir Salman Rushdie has been knighted in the Queen's Birthday Honours list.

However, since the publication of the Satanic Verses in 1988, Salman Rushdie's life has been anything but uncontroversial. He has, in effect, become a global symbol: of the fight for freedom of expression, of the phenomenon of mass intimidation and violence by religious extremists (and in particular Muslim extremists); and of the complacency of western progressive opinion.

It might therefore have been predictable that Sir Salman Rushdie's knighthood would spark outrage among those in the Muslim world who are particularly susceptible to outrage. This, however, would in no way justify the withholding of this honour from a man whose literary achievements are surely commensurate to his reward.

The international row that is emerging has several aspects to it. In the first place there is evidently an effort to whip up the same hysteria that followed the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in the Danish Jyllands-Posten newspaper and elsewhere. There is a particular political problem with the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, where the Religious Affairs Minister has effectively stated (subsequent clarifications notwithstanding) that the award justifies suicide bombing against British targets. Finally there is the question of whether or not it was advisable to confer this honour upon Salman Rushdie in view of the likely response from the Muslim world.

Mercifully, international demonstrations against the UK government in general and Sir Salman in particular have not yet reached the scale of the Danish cartoon jihad of a couple of years ago. This is not to say that they will not do so. Muslim outrage against the Danish cartoons took quite a lot of organising before they really got going. The movers and shakers of the international Islamic outrage movement have not yet had the time to put in the groundwork.

The problem with Pakistan is probably manageable. Pakistan is regarded as a key ally, and the Pakistan government has little to gain by picking a fight with the West right now. The British High Commissioner in Pakistan has been advised of the Pakistan governments unhappiness with Sir Salman's knighthood, and for his part the British High Commissioner has conveyed the British government's deep concern regarding the comments of Muhammad Ijaz El-Haq, the Religious Affairs Minister. No doubt both governments are hoping that the situation can be left there. Regrettably, we do not believe that this is advisable. It is no small thing for the Religious Affairs Minister of an Islamic Republic to pronounce that suicide bombing is justified in any circumstances. The British government should demand that these comments are condemned at the highest level of the Pakistani government, and the minister concerned should be relieved of his post.

Turning to the domestic political scene, all responsible political parties and politicians ought to be aware, and to make clear, that international blackmail, intimidation and the threat of violence will not be acceded to in any circumstances. The knighthood of Sir Salman Rushdie is justified in terms of his literary achievement alone, and it is for this reason alone that it has been awarded. The awarding of honours is a matter for the British government and people, and for them alone. Giving in to blackmail on an issue which no doubt seems trivial to many people in this country would be a grave error. If we are seen to be weak in small matters, we will be assumed to be weak in grave matters.

Nevertheless, it is not enough to support Sir Salman on the grounds of resisting international pressure. It has to be stated also that in a free society, lawful freedom of expression will be guaranteed and defended as a matter of course. As Salman Rushdie's honour is clearly merited, for it to be withheld on the grounds of political cowardice would be invidious indeed.

We congratulate Sir Salman Rushdie on his knighthood, and we congratulate the British government for standing against entirely unwarranted pressure from religious extremists. We call upon all British citizens to support Sir Salman Rushdie as he faces once again the renewed threats and intimidation against his person which have regrettably become a feature of his life in the past twenty years.

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